Power and Control
by kathrynwerewolves14
Summary: Carolina Marks, Lydia Martin's best friend and right-hand woman, is a force to reckon with. Intelligence, strength, talent, and mystery wrapped in a sophisticated package, she maintains the balance in Beacon Hills both inside the high school and out. While Beacon Hills was quickly changing to something it hadn't been for years, where will Carolina fit in with this new hierarchy?


The black paint flowed across the surface, covering the imperfections left behind by the first coat. With a slight flick of the brush, the job was done. Flawless as usual, the painter admired their work before gently blowing on the wet paint, trying to dry it faster.

"Well?" A computerized voice interrupted the silence of the room. With a flash of their hand, the finished product was shown. "I see you went with a dark color as always. You know, you could paint them a brighter color, they would look just as flawless as they do now."

"Lydia, when have you known me to wear bright colors?" The voice from the computer huffed in annoyance. "Besides, you'll be happy to know that I won't be wearing just black tomorrow. I'm following your rule for the first day of school, don't worry."

"Good. Now, add a matte top coat and your nails will be perfect."

"Yes, Lydia." The painter replied with an amused tone, as if she knew exactly what Lydia was going to say.

In the process of applying the clear top coat, a set of screams erupted through the window, causing the painter to flinch.

"Carolina, what the hell was that?" Standing from her seat, she moved to her open window to see what the disturbance was. Upon seeing her neighbor's son with a baseball bat in hand and his friend dangling from the slope of the roof upside-down, Carolina deemed the situation unimportant and return to her desk with an annoyed look. "Well?"

"It seems my neighbor's friend tried to sneak into his house and the reveal of each others presence startled them." A slight smirk rested on her lips as she relayed what had happened to Lydia. "Okay, that's enough excitement for one night. My nails are done, I think it's time for bed."

"Good call. I'll meet you in the parking lot?" Carolina confirmed with a nod. "Good, then I'll see you then. Good night darling." Blowing a kiss to the camera, Lydia signed offline, ending their video call. After powering down the computer, Carolina shut the lid and stood from her desk. Taking a deep breath, the smell of sage still burning flooded her senses. Walking over to her dresser where the sage was slowly burning in an ashtray, she blew out the embers, leaving behind a trail of smoke floating out her window. Once the bundle finished smoking, Carolina was ready for bed. Turning off her bedroom light, she slipped under the covers and waited for sleep to take her.

Carolina's eyes had barely been closed before they flew open as she sat up gasping, clutching her sheets tightly in her fists. Chills ran down her spine, signaling exactly what this disturbance was. The scales of Beacon Hills were tipping in an unfavorable manor. The balance holding her town together was being corrupted.

* * *

It seemed as though morning came too quickly for Carolina. After her sudden awakening during the night, it seemed as though the only type of sleep she would get would be a rough one. Shaking off the unwanted thoughts, she rose from bed and proceeded to go about her morning routine. Once showered, Carolina brushed out her long dark hair before drying it and curling it in to big spiral waves. Her makeup was applied with practiced technique; the flick of her winged eyeliner was just as precise and sharp as her glare. Lips stained red grinned at the final product reflected in the mirror before she left the bathroom in favor for her closet. The outfit she was to wear for the first day back to school was hanging from the first hanger so she could have easy access to it. Forgoing her towel in favor for a matching set of dark red lace undergarments, Carolina slipped in to a pleated red and black plaid skirt and a long sleeve black shirt with thumb holes. Sheer black tights graced her long legs ending in a pair of black lace-up wedge booties. The only jewelry she wore were the sun and moon stud earrings that she had been wearing for the past six years and her mother's ring. It was a large black diamond that had been passed down through her mother's family. Deeming herself ready, she grabbed the black Coach satchel Lydia had bought for her last christmas and left her bedroom.

As Carolina made her way down the stairs, she could hear the opening and closing of cabinets, signaling that she wasn't the only person awake. In the kitchen her Uncle, William, her mother's brother, was busy making breakfast for himself and Carolina. Upon hearing her descending the stairs, he placed a bowl of fruit and yogurt and a cup of coffee in front of her normal counter seat, smiling softly at his niece's usual routine. As her steps grew louder, he turned to greet her.

"Morning," he said with a smile before taking a sip from his own coffee mug. Carolina smiled before tucking in to her meal, mentally debating on telling him about what happened last night. With a quick shake of her head, the thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind. The last time she woke up like that had been six years and William didn't need to worry about it, if it wasn't significant. "So what's the plan for today? Am I picking you up after school or are you catching a ride with Lydia?"

"Lacrosse tryouts are today so Lydia will most likely want me there to support her supporting Jackson since he's team captain. I'll probably use the time to get started on my homework and make her drop me off afterwards."

"That works for me. I'm working the late shift again tonight so you'll be on your own for dinner. If you're done eating, we can go. I've got a few errands to do before I go to work tonight." Taking Carolina's dirty dishes, with a vocal thanks from the girl, he placed them in the dishwasher and grabbed his coat and keys. Carolina slipped on her favorite leather jacket before following her Uncle out to the car.

The car ride to the high school was quick. William pulled up to the front of the school, allowing for Carolina to avoid the swarm of people parking in the lot. She grabbed her bag and opened the door but her Uncle's voice drew her attention back to him.

"Before I forget, don't let the sage you use burn so late tonight. It was still slightly smoking when I got home last night."

"Sorry Uncle William." Carolina knew her Uncle was comfortable with everything she was doing but she still didn't like getting caught doing it. With a quick goodbye, Carolina got out of the car and paused to center herself. Once her eyes lifted from the ground, she assumed the persona she was well known for at Beacon Hills High. With her head held high, Carolina strut up the path to the nearest empty bench and sat down waiting for Lydia to make her appearance. After waiting a few minutes, something caught Carolina's attention and it wasn't her best friend.

While Lydia may not know who most people beneath her are, Carolina knew the name and face of every single person in Beacon Hills. So when her neighbor Scott McCall and his friend Stiles Stilinski are openly discussing an interesting topic, she couldn't help but cover her grin and listen in.

"What do you mean 'no I didn't.' How do you know what I heard?"

"Because California doesn't have wolves." A humming laughter echoed from next to Scott and Stiles. Neither boy was expecting to see Carolina Marks sitting on a bench, laughing at their conversation. Her eyes held an all knowing glint as she uncovered her mouth.

"Are you sure about that?" Her question took Stiles by surprise as he was just staring at the always lovely Carolina. The girl's eyebrow raised while she waited for a reply.

"Uh, yeah." Scott and Stiles watched as Carolina crossed her legs and adjusted the position of her skirt before leaning a bit closer to them.

"California doesn't have wolves… but Beacon Hills does." Carolina's eyes sparkled with something neither boy could place as she stood from her place on the bench, balancing perfectly on heeled booties. With one last glance, Carolina walked back towards the parking lot to greet Lydia, who had just arrived. Scott and Stiles' eyes followed her departure before returning to each other.

"What was that about?" Scott frowned, looking like a confused puppy, trying to figure out what Carolina meant.

"Who cares! Carolina Marks just talked to us willingly!" Stiles had a dopey look on his face and he took one last look at Carolina approaching Lydia Martin. Shaking it off, he returned to his original thought path. "Now, back to what I was saying."

Carolina gracefully met Lydia as she walked up the sidewalk towards her. A smirk graced her face as she notice the outfit similar to her own on Lydia's form. The strawberry-blonde came to a stop just in front of her, the girl's small height not affecting her large presence. Lydia hummed in thought as she looked over Carolina.

"Turn." The command was simple. Carolina twirled on the spot, putting herself on display for her friend. A smile of approval graced Lydia's face. "Great minds think alike."

"Well we are the only two borderline geniuses in this school." With a playful glare, Lydia swept past Carolina, strutting towards the front doors, Carolina close behind. As they approached the doors, Carolina noticed that Scott and Stiles were still standing there.

"I mean, this is seriously the best thing to happen this town since - Since the birth of Lydia Martin. Hey, Lydia, you look… like you're going to ignore me." Lydia walked right by him without acknowledging his presence but Carolina turned her head over her shoulder giving the twitching boy a wink and a slight wave of her fingers. Stiles' eyes widened at the gesture, confused by the attention before focusing back on Scott.

The school day progressed like it usually did, Carolina not feeling challenged enough in class but still answering every question that came her way perfectly. At the end of the day, she was at her locker when a new face was struggling to open her locker.

Allison was having trouble opening her new locker and was close to just giving up putting her books away when a voice called out from nearby.

"It helps if you jiggle the lock after you put in the combination." Allison turned to her left and noticed a girl who could fit the 'tall, dark and mysterious' persona perfectly. She shut her own locker and walked her way. With an extended hand she smiled. "Carolina."

"Allison." She returned the smile while shaking the girl's hand. Over the girls shoulder she noticed the boy from her english class that gave her a pen staring at her. Allison sweetly smiled before their connection was interrupted.

"That jacket is absolutely killer. Where'd you get it?" She noticed a red headed girl standing there, giving her a once over.

"My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco."

"And you are my new best friend." Carolina hummed in amusement and annoyance at Lydia's remark. "Oh Lina, you know I would never replace you." Lydia's eyes glittered with affection towards the black haired girl. "Hey Jackson." Lydia placed a kiss on his lips in greeting, while Carolina rolled her eyes at the act. Allison lightly laughing at the girls antics towards the couple. Once they were finished, Lydia's attention was back on Allison. "So, this weekend, there's a party."

"A party?" Jackson nodded in conformation

"Yeah, Friday night. You should come." Allison looked slightly uncomfortable at the sudden invitation.

"Uh, I can't. It's Family Night this Friday. Thanks for asking."

"You sure? No one would dare miss Carolina's famous cupcakes that she promised to make for this party." Jackson gave the mentioned girl a look to which she nodded in affirmation that she would be baking this weekend. "Everyone's going after the scrimmage."

"You mean like football?"

"Football's a joke in Beacon. The sport here is lacrosse. We've won the state championship for the past three years."

"Because of a certain team captain." Carolina could visibly see Jackson's ego inflate at Lydia's comment.

"Well, we have practice in a few minutes. That is, if you don't have anywhere else-"

"Well, I was going to…" Allison's plans were never voiced as Lydia had already made up her mind in regards to what they were all doing this afternoon.

"Perfect. You're coming." Lydia's word was final as she and Jackson turned to walk away down the hall. Carolina sighed, shaking her head, as she stepped up to Allison's side. Looping her arm through the new girl's, gently tugging her to get her walking.

"When it comes to Lydia, you'll learn when to pick your battles with her. Trust me, she'll get easier to deal with." Allison looked at Carolina and could see that she was talking from experience. After taking a deep breath, Allison smiled and walked along with Carolina to the lacrosse field.

The sounds of boys grunting, metal poles hitting each other, and Coach yelling filled the air as Carolina dropped her bag unceremoniously on to their spot of the bleachers. To say that she was unhappy to be there was an understatement. While Carolina enjoyed the occasional lacrosse game once the season was underway, she did not like attending every single practice. They had barely been there for five minutes before Carolina voiced her opinion.

"Bored." Carolina was lounging on the bleachers with her arms and legs crossed. She had a hard look on her face as she just watched the team line up while Scott was basically trembling in the goal. After taking the first shot to the face, Scott seemed to miraculously get better, which had Carolina frowning. No one could change their skills that quickly unless… All the thoughts Carolina had pushed to the back of her head this morning came flooding back as she watched Scott play.

"Who is that?" Allison seemed to be just as interested in Scott as Carolina was but for an entirely different reason.

"Him? I'm not sure who he is." Carolina raised her eyebrow in questioning at Lydia. She and Lydia had been in the same school as Scott since they were kids. "Why?"

"He's in my english class." The way Allison said that made it seem like there was a real story behind her words but wanted to keep it to herself.

While Allison and Lydia focused on what was happening during the practice, Carolina was focused on something else entirely. Her mind kept going back to what had happened last night. It wasn't a dream but the feeling of dread one gets during a terrible nightmare flooded her senses causing her to awake in such a panic. The last time this happened, she had lost everything dear to her and had basically destroyed her. That feeling of dread lingered in the back of her mind, keeping her aware of what could be coming back to town. If that's truly what this feeling meant then she would need to be more alert this weekend than normal. Carolina's thinking took up the remainder of practice, something which she was grateful for. Lydia and Carolina said their goodbyes to Allison and finally left the school for the day.

* * *

The rest of the week passed in the same manor and Carolina couldn't have been more grateful for Lydia deciding to leave immediately after school the day of the party. William knew that she would be spending the night at the Martin household and had given her a lecture about behaving that morning in the car. When they arrived at Lydia's house, Carolina had been ushered into the kitchen to make the cupcakes that she promised she would make. Everyone in the sophomore class could vouch that Carolina Marks made the best red velvet cupcakes they had ever tasted. It was her mother's recipe and she had watched and helped make them so many times that it was ingrained in her memory. Baking allowed Carolina a small reprieve from the thoughts plaguing her mind as the full moon loomed overhead. Once the cupcakes were out of the oven and iced with homemade frosting, Lydia dragged Carolina upstairs, giving Jackson specific to not bother them. Lydia loved when they hosted parties because Carolina would be able to pick an outfit from her own closet, which was filled with more than just dark colors. Despite having more options to put her friend in Lydia ended up thrusting a sleeveless black skater dress with a mesh panel covering her collarbones and shoulders. A pair of grey heeled booties were waiting outside of the bathroom door once she finished changing. Lydia curled her dark hair in to soft waves before applying a more dramatic look on her face. A long purple pendant on a silver chain joined her regular jewelry and completed the Lydia approved look.

The party was in full swing and Carolina was dancing by herself in the crowd of people in the backyard. Dancing was something Carolina knew extremely well; she spent her Sundays at the Beacon Hills Academy of Dance where she practiced ballet for hours. It was the one day she could forget herself and the problems she was facing and just focus on the music and the movement. It was one of the few constants Carolina had left in her life after everything that happened. The music was fast paced, making Carolina's blood pump as she moved gracefully with her drink in hand. Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine causing her eyes to snap open and survey the area. The dark corner near the back gate was what she was looking for.

He watched from the corner, his eyes never leaving the bitten teen as he danced with the Argent girl. The full moon beating down, just waiting to take control of their free will. He was focused on his task, not noticing the stomping heels coming towards him.

"This is an invite only party. Get out." He looked over his shoulder and saw Carolina Marks standing there, one hand on her cocked hip, her drink in the other, with a scowl etched on her face. "It's a high school party Derek, fuck off."

"I can't. It's a full moon. There's a new wolf."

"I know." The conversation about wolves in California, the heightened reflexes, the story Allison told about how he could automatically calm down the dog she hit; Carolina had figured out that Scott McCall had been bitten and turned into a werewolf way before Scott himself had. It was why she was currently outside dancing; she had been standing in the perfect place to view Scott and Allison on their date and step in if something happened. "I'm handling it." Derek just staring at her as if she was crazy. What could a sixteen year old girl do that he couldn't. He chuckled lowly, watching Carolina's jaw clench in anger. "Stop laughing you asshole." She spat her words at him as if they were venom.

"No, I'm handling it. It's my family's territory so he's my responsibility."

"It _stopped_ being your responsibility the day you and Laura left town without a word." Her words cut deeply, the consequences of his departure from Beacon Hills all those years ago were coming to the surface. "Now, get out of my party. I don't want you here." With a final glare, she turned on her heels and headed back into the crowd of moving bodies until he couldn't see her anymore. Even out of sight, the anger and hurt coming off of Carolina still lingered in the air.

Everything was going smoothly at the party. Carolina got rid of Derek and kept her eye out for Scott, that was until he decided to run off and leave Allison on the dance floor. Scott ran out of the party, looking like he was in immense pain, quickly getting to his car and driving off with Stiles' jeep not too far behind. Carolina burst out the front door to see both set of tail lights in the distance and Allison standing on the sidewalk talking to Derek Hale.

"Allison!" She called out as she approached the hurt girl. "Hey, what happened? Are you okay?" Carolina knew what was going on with Scott but damage control would be needed in terms of Allison.

"Scott just ran off. I don't know why but his friend Derek here was offering me a ride home." Carolina's eyes traveled over to Derek who was looking a little too smug for his own good. Allison took a step closer to Carolina, trying to discretely ask her about the older man. "Do you know Derek? I don't want to leave if he's lying and going to be a creep." Carolina's eyes twinkled with amusement at her question.

"Well…" Derek, who heard the whole exchange, stepped in so he could keep to his plan."

"Carolina and I go way back. Come on, I'll take you home too. Maybe say hi to William while we're there." If looks could kill, Derek would be dead and buried based on the glare Carolina was sending his way but Allison seemed to be comforted by his words and began to gently drag Carolina to his car. He held the passenger door open for them, Allison electing to sit in the back. Carolina stared out the window, barely listening to Allison giving directions to her house. When the car came to a stop, Carolina snapped out of her daze before getting out of the car to let Allison out.

"Allison." The girl turned around seeing Carolina leaning against the open car door. "I'm sorry about what happened but I have a good feeling that Scott has an explanation for all this so don't count him out yet." With a smile, Carolina got back into the car, letting Allison enter her house.

Several minutes of silence passed as Derek drove the familiar route to Carolina's house.

"I see you still have the Camero." Carolina's tone sounded uninterested but Derek knew she was using the cold front she put up as a defense mechanism.

"I see you still have your mom's ring." She subtly looked down at the mentioned jewelry and clenched her fist. "How's William?"

"Fine."

"He going to be home when I drop you off?"

"No."

"Will you stop with attitude?" Carolina had reached her breaking point.

"No, Derek, I will not stop with the attitude. I have every right to give you attitude after everything." The car came slowly to a stop in front of her house. "Thanks for the ride. I'd say it was great to see you but I still hate you currently so-" On that note, she quickly slipped out of the car, slamming the door and made her way up to her front door.

* * *

It had been a few hours since Derek dropped her off at her house and Carolina was in her room with a well worn leather book opened in front of her on the bed. The smell of burning herbs wafted through the room, drifting out the open window as she flipped through the pages for information. A burst of wind followed by light thump lightly shook the room, signaling that something or someone was now in her room. Carolina looked over to the bushel of sage, sitting unlit in the ashtray on her nightstand. With a blink of an eye, the bundle was lit and Carolina turned her attention to the intruder.

"Your powers have gotten stronger." Derek stood at the foot of her bed with his hands shoved in the pockets of his leather jacket.

"Well I had to take learning all of this in to my own hands seeing as you and Laura left and there was no one to watch over Beacon Hills. Way too much responsibility to give to a ten year old but I did it while trying to balance being a normal kid." Turning her eyes back to her book, Carolina began flipping through the pages again. "So did he turn?"

"Yes. I found him. But there's another problem. _They_ are back. But you would know that, you're hanging out with the daughter." Carolina's attention snapped back to Derek at what he was implying.

"The Argents?" Her tone was filled with confusion and fear.

"Do you really not know?" The look on her face was all Derek needed to confirm that Carolina was in the dark on the hunter situation. "Allison is an Argent. She's Chris' daughter." Derek watched as Carolina visibly froze before she got off the bed and looked at him straight in the eye.

"We know what we need to do to keep us _all_ safe right?" Derek knew she was including Scott when she spoke of the small group who would be affected by this new addition to the town. He nodded reluctantly in agreement. "We need to make plans and you have to help me train. I need to brush up on my fighting skills and-"

"There's something else." Derek stopped Carolina mid rant. "There's an Alpha in Beacon Hills."

"It's Laura right? She came back with you?" Derek's eyes filled with sadness as his sister was brought up.

"I'm sorry Care," Derek brought out his old nickname for the girl in hopes that it would soften the news he was about to deliver. "But I'm going to need some wolfsbane."

"No…" Carolina sunk to the floor as Derek's words washed over her. Laura Hale was dead, the Argents were back in town, and there was a new Alpha running around Beacon Hills trying to create a pack. The balance of Beacon Hills had been shattered and Carolina didn't know where to begin to right it.

* * *

 **Hello! So it's been awhile that I've put anything on here and it's all been for good reasons too. I apologize for starting something new instead of updating what you all want but I'm working on updates for everything, very slowly but surely. Hopefully you all like this new story and let me know what you think!**


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